Do I need a permit?

Collection of native plant material is the removal of material without causing substantial damage or death to the plant. Anything else (eg severing branches, limbs, stems or trunks of vegetation) is defined as clearance and is not classified as collection.

Collection from public land

You must have a permit from DEWNR to collect native plant material from public land. This also applies to collection from any vegetation that has been planted onto public land.

Collection from public land also requires permission from the relevant authority responsible for care and control of that land (eg local council, DEWNR, ForestrySA).

Collection from private land

You do not need a permit from DEWNR to collect on private land.

However, you must always have permission from the landowner. We also suggest it may be prudent to follow the principles in our Policy and Standard documents when collecting on private land.

Collection for research purposes

You must have a Scientific Permit to collect native plant material for herbarium voucher specimens or for research purposes if the collection is from public land.

Collection of whole plants

The Native Plant Material Collection Policy does not apply to the clearance of native vegetation and collection of whole plants. You must get approval from the Native Vegetation Council.

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge and respect the Traditional Custodians whose ancestral lands we live and work upon and we pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We acknowledge and respect the deep spiritual connection and the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to Country.

We also pay our respects to the cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their nations in South Australia, as well as those across Australia.

Seven sisters and the Coloured Stone by Dorcas Miller, a Mirning Woman from Koonibba, South Australia